Babies, children and young people develop in their own time but tend to follow a similar path when meeting milestones in their development. Sometimes families have concerns about their child’s development. As a parent or carer, you may have noticed that your child has some difficulties eating, sleeping, learning or carrying out everyday tasks like using the toilet. In some cases, families might be worried about behaviour, emotional wellbeing or sensory needs, such as reactions to bright lights or loud noises. These things can have a big impact on your family life.
If you are worried about your child’s development, you can speak to:
- Family doctor (GP)
- Health visitor
- School nurse
- School or nursery teacher
- Social worker
- Another professional involved in their life, e.g. paediatrician (a doctor that specialises in children and young people)
What happens next will depend on your child’s age and may vary slightly depending on where you live.
For younger children who have not started school yet, your health visitor will carry out an initial assessment and ask you questions about what your concerns are, how it affects your child’s life, how long this has been happening for, and what sort of help you would like. They may also ask your permission to speak to your child’s nursery.
For school age children, universal services such as education and health work together with you to help decide how to best support your child. Information gathered about life at home and life at school, will help plan what supports might be helpful across different areas of your child’s life.
We understand that this can be an uncertain time and can cause mixed emotions for families. The purpose of any meeting is to gather information about your child, your family and the impact of any child development concerns. It will be helpful for families to prepare for any meetings by gathering as much information as possible, including examples of any concerns you have.
Health services, schools and local authorities all follow a framework called ‘Getting It Right for Every Child’, also known as GIRFEC, to support the wellbeing of all children in Scotland. Learn more about GIRFEC.
Support for children and young people
Support can be offered for your child in their classroom setting or there may be additional interventions offered by school staff.
Any additional support will be tailored to what each child needs. In Scotland, children and young people do not need a formal diagnosis of a particular condition to get the help and support that they need at school or nursery. This is set out in the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004.
Visit the Neurodiversity page for information on supports and services available within NHS Lothian and the wider community, along with practical advice and links to help you take your next steps with confidence.
Neurodevelopmental Conditions & Assessment
How the brain develops and works is known as ‘Neurodevelopment’. You may notice your child experiences differences in the areas of communication, memory, relationships, balance and coordination, emotional well-being, play, learning, flexibility, attention or senses.
Neurodevelopmental conditions are caused by the way someone’s brain develops. This is very common and can appear in childhood. Here are some examples:
- Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Attention Deficit & Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
- Intellectual / Learning Disability
- Developmental Language Disorder
- Developmental Coordination Disorder
Some children experience a combination of difficulties which may overlap.
A Neurodevelopmental Pathway involves a number of steps to assess and work out if your child has a neurodevelopmental condition. Sometimes it will include a diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental condition such as Autism. If you have concerns, please share them with a professional such as a Health Visitor, school staff etc. They can explain how to request a neurodevelopmental assessment. How the assessment is carried out, and by whom, will depend on the age of your child and the difficulties that have been noticed. It can be helpful to keep a note of the difficulties that you have noticed, to help you remember the important details and examples.
Community Paediatrics
Community Paediatricians are specialist doctors for babies, children and young people who may have developmental difficulties, disabilities or who are vulnerable, where there might be concerns about their wellbeing. They assess children where a concern has been raised about their development, usually when children are under the age of 7. Community paediatrics works closely with other health professionals including family doctors (GPs), health visitors, school nurses as well as CAMHS, to discuss each child’s individual circumstances, the assessments they need and any support after that. You can find out more on our Community Paediatrician page.
CAMHS
CAMHS is the name used for the Children & Adolescent Mental Health Service, a specialist part of the NHS that offers assessment, care and support for children and young people with a range of conditions that affect their behaviour, development, mental and emotional health. There are local CAMHS services across the UK, including in the NHS Lothian region, with teams located in different areas of Edinburgh and the Lothians. Find out more about NHS Lothian CAMHS.
Support while waiting for an assessment
We understand that this can be an anxious time for children and their families. NHS Lothian has two online Wellbeing Hubs, for children under 11 and for older children aged 11+. There is information, short videos and links to other specialist organisations and charities, with topics including feelings, moods and emotions, mental health, sleep, staying safe online, friendships, body image and much more.
Visit the Wellbeing Hub for children.
Visit the Wellbeing Hub for young people.
CAMHS resources is a site designed for young people and families, bringing together mental health and wellbeing resources into one place, including downloads, recommended apps, books and videos.
Additional support from other professionals
Therapies and support include services like Speech & Language Therapy, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy that can play a key role in a child’s growth, development and independence. Many of these therapies have local teams working in different parts of the NHS Lothian region, with contact details and information about how to get help for your child.
East Lothian Single Point of Access
What is the Single Point of Access?
The Single Point of Access (SPA) matches children and young people with the most appropriate service for them. The Single Point of Access is a service provided by East Lothian Council, in conjunction with partnership agencies and is the way to access the Mental Health and Wellbeing Service and the Early Years Response Team, as well as the Neurodevelopmental Pathway. This service has been designed with families in mind, to coordinate all support through one single request.
Mental Health & Wellbeing – Single Point of Access
Information leaflets for young people & families about assessments
Understanding my brain and how it is developing
Neurodevelopmental Assessment Pathway
Information and support for parents of children who have neurodevelopmental differences – East Lothian
